Improvement of aquatic ecosystems

La Mauricie National Park

What is ecological integrity?

Ecological integrity is a natural region’s characteristic condition that includes its abiotic components, the composition and abundance of its native species and biological communities, the rates of change, and their supporting processes.

Fifteen years of restoration

Before becoming protected, the lakes and waterways of La Mauricie National Park were heavily impacted by several decades of logging, log driving, and fishing. To restore their ecological integrity, Parks Canada launched a large-scale conservation and restoration initiative for these precious aquatic ecosystems in 2004. Now, after fifteen years of hard work, the project has helped return the lakes of La Mauricie National Park to their natural state, mainly by reintroducing native brook trout, restoring natural water levels by dismantling old log driving structures, and removing logs that had accumulated on shorelines and lakebeds.

Looking forward

Fifteen years of conservation and restoration efforts at La Mauricie National Park are helping return aquatic ecosystems to their natural state. Positive effects are already being felt on the first few restored lakes, particularly at Bouchard Lake, North Pimbina Lake, lac aux Chevaux, and Tessier Lake, where fishing was reopened to families in 2017. The restoration work therefore is beneficial not only for the ecosystems themselves, but also for current and future generations of visitors, as they can once again access the beaches and shorelines now that the logs are gone.

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